Hi, guys!
Today I decided to take a day off because my brain has completely reached its limit, and I need to hit the pause button. The coming weeks are going to be packed with work—I have two presentations to prepare and several paid collaborations that require filming. I need to rest up beforehand, as there’s a lot of work ahead that will need to get done. On top of that, I have some toy advertisements to film; these are quite involved, as the videos themselves are very extensive. Naturally, I also have a stack of books to read and review, along with a pile of manga that I need to cover as well. There is just so much to do, so I need to get my mind ready for it all. Today, I also plan to take my dogs out for a walk—a small step toward physically preparing my body for the exercise routine I’m definitely planning to return to next week. It’s cold, and there’s no water or electricity, but life goes on, and one has to find a way to keep living it properly. Yesterday, I began editing the main body of my manuscript—I’ve already finished half of the first volume, and now I need to focus specifically on editing to refine the text and get it into good shape. Editing is tougher than writing, but it’s a necessary step to truly bring the text to life. It’s a slower process—and one I don’t particularly enjoy—but once you get into the flow, it becomes easier. I’m hoping I can settle into the rhythm and complete the editing without too much struggle and at a steady pace; that’s what I’ll be dedicating my time to in the near future.
I’ll start by taking the dogs for a walk—well, actually, I’ll write some blog posts first, and then I’ll take the pups out. It’s cold outside, and they’ve gotten a bit unaccustomed to this kind of weather; plus, it’s been a while since our last proper walk. But we’re going to head out and walk for a long, long time—until we’ve truly had our fill of being outdoors. First, I’ll have a cup of coffee, as always, and then we’ll go for a nice, long stroll. I’ve fallen out of the habit of doing this myself, so it won’t be entirely easy, but it’s something that has to be done—they need long, regular walks every single day. Yesterday, I reinstalled my "Penguin" app and added some new daily tasks, so I need to make sure I stick to them. I can’t just spend from morning till night editing my books; if I do, I’ll ruin my health before I even finish writing them. I can’t let that happen—I have a plan for a very long series, so I need to take care of myself to ensure my health doesn’t fall apart before I’m done. Right now, my plan is to edit the first half of the first volume while also looking after my well-being, so that I can remain a healthy writer throughout the entire process. Since it’s a long series, this will take more than a year, so I really need to stay focused on all of this.
I’m really eager to bring on more beta readers for my manuscript, but I’m not sure if my current ones will be up for the task. I’ll need to warn them right from the start that the content is extremely intense—I have to make sure they’re psychologically prepared for it. My previous book was much lighter, so I didn’t need to issue any such warnings back then; this time, however, I’m obligated to let them know that a heavy dose of psychological intensity awaits, and I have to ask if they’re truly ready to take on a text like this. On one hand, that’s not ideal, as it obviously narrows the pool of potential beta readers. On the other hand, it’s a specific genre, and I genuinely enjoy working within it. We’ll see if I end up with enough beta readers to review the manuscript before I submit it to a publisher. Even if I don’t, I won’t be too upset—I’m truly enjoying the process and am determined to finish the book. So, I’ll keep moving forward at my current pace; I want to get things done as quickly as possible, but without compromising my own well-being. That’s about where things stand for now—have a wonderful day, everyone!